Combination leather and rubber heel



April 3, 1951 M. LEOPALDI COMBINATION LEATHER AND RUBBER HEEL Filed June 25, 1948 Fig. '7.

INVENTOR Zea mad ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 3, 1951 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 2,547,711 COMBINATION LEATHER AND RUBBER HEEL Claims. i

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a combination leather and rub-- ber heel, and is a substitute for my abandoned application Serial No. 435,012 filed March 17, 1942.

More specifically, the invention proposes the construction of a combination leather and rubber heel having a body portion constructed of cork, leather or other similar material, and which is provided with a rubber insert at its rear outer side or point of greatest wear in a manner to form a heel having the wearing qualities of an all rubber heel without requiring the quantity of rubber now used in producing a common all rubber heel.

Another object of this invention proposes the provision of a rigid plate mounted in the rubber insert at its point of greatest wear in a manner to materially increase the normal wearing life of this insert.

A. further object of this invention proposes disposing the rigid plate within an opening extended inwards from the bottom face of the insert and engaging a nail through the rigid plate in a manner to securely lock the rigid plate in position in the opening.

Still another object of this invention proposes an auxiliary means for assisting the nail inretaining the rigid plate in position within the opening in a manner to securely lock the rigid plate in position and prevent it from dropping out of the opening.

It is a further object of the present invention to construct a shoe heel which is simple and. durable, easily attached to a shoe and which may be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

For further comprehension of the invention; and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the -appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a partial bottom plan view of a shoe having a combination leather and rubber heel constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line I Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 4 before the insertion of the nail.

Fig. 7 is a similar View to Fig. 4; but illustrating another modification of the invention.

The combination of leather and rubber heel, according to this invention, is to be applied to a conventional shoe it and includes a'body portion ll. This body portion H is built up of a 3 plurality of superimposed layers of cork, leather body portion H.

" of the insert 13, or its point of greatest wear,

it is formed with an -inwardly extending recess l5 within which a rigid plate It is mounted. This plate it is of non-circular shape, preferably substantially triangular, in horizontal cross section and is disposed slightly inwards from the peripheral edge of the insert l3 and is formed of composition, metal or other similar material having unusual strength and-long wearing qual ities. The plate It is retained in position Within the recess is by means of a nail ll which passes through aligned openings in the plate it and the insert l3 and engages the base [2.

Adjacent the plate It, the body portion ll of the heel has an undercut portion, and the insert 83 is formed with a projection [8 which extends into this undercut area. This projection l8 tends to thicken the rubber insert H3 at its point of greatest wear and prevent the insert from breaking into two parts as this area becomes worn away.

It is believed that the manner of attaching the combination leather and rubber heel to the heel portion. of the shoe It will be'obvious to those skilled in the art.

The form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6 is similar to that previously described except for the provision of a means for assisting the nail I! in holding the rigid plate E6 in position within therecess I5.

This means is characterized by a sleeve 20 which concentrically engages the nail ll. The sleeve 28 is formed at its inner end with a flange 2! of any suitable size. The flange 2| is in intimate contact with the adjacent face of the plate It and has the contour of the recess l5.

{gether with the sleeve 20 is inserted into the recess and a convenient turning tool is engaged into the free end 'of the slits 23 and used to turn the sleeve relative to the plate 16.

The peripheral edges'of the flange 21 are sharpened asses the "sleeve 29 is turned'relative to the plate [6 the edges of the flange 2| will cut into therubber insert l3 and hold the plate 16 in position. The nail l! is then forced through the sleeve 20 to engage into the base l2. As the nail i1 is forced through the sleeve 20, the sleeve will be spread from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The walls of the sleeve 20 will then frictionally engage the shank portion of the nail I! and maintain the sleeve against turning from the position in which the edge portions of the flange 2| engage into the rubber insert l3. In other respects this form of the invention is similar to that shown in Fig. 1 and like letters of reference are used to identify like parts in each of the several views.

- In Fig. 7 the insert I3 is shown with a vertical edge l8 instead of the projection 18. In other respects, this form of the invention is similar to the form shown in Figs. 4 to 6. I

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not :limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A heel for a shoe, comprisin a body portion of leather, an insert of rubber, and a rigid "plate set into said rubber insert at its point of greatest wear, and means for holding said plate in position within a recess formed in said insert, comprising a rotative sleeve extended through an opening formed in said plate and having a flange with sharpened edges which cut into said rubber insert, and a nail engaged through said sleeve for holding said "sleeve against turning.

2. In a heel having a body portion with an insert in the body portion formed with a recess in which a rigid .plate is positioned, means for holding said rigid plate in position within said recess, said rigid plate being of triangular shape in cross-section and said recess being conformed to the shape of said rigid plate, said holding means comprises 'a sleeve rotatively extended through said rigid insert, a flange formed on the inner end of said sleeve and conformed to the shape of said rigid plate, said flange having its edges sharpened to 'cut into said rubber insert "when said sleeve is turned, means facilitating turning of said sleeve to engage the sharpened edges of said flange with the material or said rubber insert, and means for securing said sleeve against accidental rotation.

3. Ina heel having a body portion with an insert in the body portion formed with a recess in which a rigid plate is positioned, means for 4 holding said rigid plate in position within said recess, said rigid plate being of triangular shape in cross-section and said recess being conformed to the shape of said rigid plate, said holding means comprises a sleeve rotatively extended through said rigid insert, a flange formed on the inner end of said sleeve and conformed to the shape of said rigid plate, said flange having its edges sharpened to cut into said rubber insert when said sleeve is turned, means facilitating turning of said sleeve to engage the sharpened edges of said flange with the material of said 'r 'ub'ber insert, and means for securing said sleeve against accidental rotation, said sleeve having its outer end slit to be engaged by a turning tool to form the said means facilitating turning of said sleeve.

4. In a heel having a body portion with an insert in the body portion formed with a recess in which a rigid plate is positioned, means for holding said rigid plate in position within said recess, said rigid plate being of triangular shape in cross-section and said recess being conformed to the shape of said rigid plate, said holding means comprises a sleeve rotatively extended through said rigid insert, a flange formed on the inner end of said sleeve and conformed to the shape of said rigid plate, said flange having its edges sharpened to cut into said rubber insert when said sleeve is turned, means facilitating turning of said sleeve to engage the sharpened edges of said flange with the material of said rubber insert, and means for securing said sleeve against accidental rotation, said securing means comprises a nail having its shank passed through said sleeve into said insert.

5. In a heel having a body portion with an insert in the body portion formed with a recess in which a rigid plate is positioned, means for holding said rigid plate in position within said recess, said rigid plate being of triangular shape in cross-section and said recess being conformed to the shape of said rigid plate, said holding means comprises a sleeve rotatively extended through said rigid insert, a flange formed on the inner end of said sleeve and conformed to the shape of said rigid plate, said flange having its edges sharpened to cut into said rubber insert when said sleeve is turned, means facilitating turning of said sleeve to engage the sharpened edges of said flange with the material of said rubber insert, and mean for securing said sleeve against accidental rotation, said securing means comprises a nail having its shank passed through said sleeve into said insert, said sleeve having its ends formed with slits so that the outer ends thereof on opposite sides of said slits may be converged to be spread by the insertion of said nail to grip the opposite sides of the shank of said nail.

MICHELE LEOPALDI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 7 1,134,494 Solomon Apr. 6, 1915 1,172,392 Robinson Feb. 22, 1916 1,193,198 Solomon Aug. 1, 1916 2,420,770 Chiodo May 20, 1947 

